Legends of Old
by Maakkel
Summary: Darkness… no wait. It wasn't dark, though it wasn't bright either; there was… nothing. No black, no white, no grey, no anything. Suddenly, something appeared! Suddenly, the sound of rustled grass and leafs hit me ears, and slowly other sounds followed. It was as if I was born right there and then. Then the feeling of falling in sleep appeared and I did a jerk and opened my eyes.
1. Chapter 1

I awoke in an oaken forest. All the trees looked young and nothing like a large mighty oak. Where did I even know what a large and mighty oak tree was?

I looked around and noticed what might by a high hill a couple of dusin meters away. The sun looked as if it had risen from the horizon not too long ago.

Suddenly it felt as if my brain jerked and a sharp pain shot through my head, I groaned in pain and surprise and held my hand to my head. What was happening?

I looked down myself and noticed I was wearing a green t-shirt and some blue baggy pants.

They felt strange and familiar at the same time. I decided to shrug it off for now.

"moo"

I jumped at least 3 feet in the sky and spun around, falling heavily on my butt.

I had not heard the cow sneak behind me; though it seemed to care about everything but me.

I let out the breath I had unconsciously been holding.

I decided to go to the hill I could see.

The hill side was steep and varied between almost completely steep rocks to flat grass sides.

I had trouble getting to the top, but when I did, I realized it was worth it. The view from atop of this almost mountain tall hill was stunning, to say the least.

Birds flew in the cloud-free aquamarine blue sky. The bright golden sun was getting high in the sky at this point. The proud trees with their fresh green leaves stood proud and tall below me.

The horizon was hidden mountains to the north, and to the south it was hidden by trees. To the east and west was the mighty sapphire colored ocean.

Below me was thousands of mighty trees – oak, spruce, birch – several clear lakes and silent rivers.

All the best of nature was gathered below, and around, me. Then something hit me, something that had probably been nagging me all this time…

I was alone, and there was nothing man-made. This kingdom below me was made by nature and nothing else.

As I turned around myself, trying to point myself wrong. I saw it, the black pillar.

A black pillar of smoke, and over the quiet sounds of the wind and the aroma of the flowers; the sound of crackling fire and the smell of burning wood appeared.

Not knowing what else to do, I rushed down the hill top, partly falling down the steeper areas. All while going in the direction of this black pillar of smoke, no… black pillar of death.

It was further away than I first thought. I passed through a valley with steep cliffs in both sides, and with a beautiful river in the middle. The grass was fresh and had a powerful, yet calm, green color.

I turned my gaze from side to side, to take in the entire scenario. Suddenly I stopped. My gaze had fallen to a cave and for a moment, it had seemed as if someone had stood there. I traced my steps back, but the cave was empty. There were no signs of the one I had, or thought I had, seen. Yet I couldn't shake of the feeling someone was watching me.

Suddenly the hairs on my neck stood at attention, and I spun around. For a minimal moment, I thought I saw the shape of something tall and slender; then it was gone.

Fear began to find its way in my body, and my hands began shaking ever so slightly.

I shook my head, and began running, both towards the smoke, and away from the cave.

I began to lose my breath, I began to feel the sweat running down my back. I suddenly stopped, in front of me was a burning house. From within I heard a noise, someone was hitting to the door, trying to get out!

I ran around the house and saw a heavy wooden door, someone was definitely hitting it. As lady luck would have it, the fire had yet to reach the door. I grapped the handle and pulled with all my might. The door came off its hinges and I fell back and landed lying down with the door over me. A second later, something heavy landed on the door with a thump. The door pressed down on me, and I couldn't get it off me.

"Hey, think you could get off?" I said with a slightly pained voice. No response, except for a deep rough moan. Panic began filling my body. Suddenly the sound of singeing flesh came from above me, and suddenly a hand pressed to the ground besides my head.

The hand, wrist and lower arm, had no flesh. It was just rotten muscle with burning embers.

I screamed in terror and began to flip the door to the side, tilting it, and the thing on it, over. I stood up from the ground. I still couldn't see what it was. I could only see more of the arm.

Another groan came from beside me, in the direction of the now open door.

With fear, I turned my head. What could not be described as anything but a walking corpse, lit on fire, was walking towards me. With a soundless scream I began backing away. There were another on its way out of the burning house, and I was convinced I could see several more moving around behind the flames.

My back hit a tree, and more panic and adrenalin filled my body. I looked around me; I had to move quickly before more would come out and surround me.

I quickly grapped a long piece of wood with flames at the end. I held it in front of me as a sword. With a lunge forward I stapped it through the chest of the corpse in front of me.

It only took a second for me to realize that it had no noticeable effect. I grapped tighter on the wood and with a foothold stronger than stone, I began throwing the corpse, making it fall to the ground.

I quickly turned my head. I had a clear escape, and it was an opportunity I wasn't about to let down.

I ran, faster and further than earlier. And I was only able to do so because of a drug called adrenaline. Afterwards, all energy left me, and I literally fell to my knees panting.

The sun had risen further and was shining on my sweat glistening forehead from directly above. 


	2. Chapter 2

My body was covered in sweat and filled with fear. I was shaking, the rush of adrenaline was leaving me and, sleepiness and weakness was flooding my body.

I wanted most of all to just lay down and sleep, but I knew that with what had happened just minutes ago I would barely be able to sleep, and it would be a sleep of nightmares.

After arguing with the rationality of my mind. I leaned up a tree and relaxed, trying to regain just some of my energy.

Suddenly I opened my eyes. I had heard a strange sound.

I listened carefully, but could only hear the peaceful lullaby of nature. Suddenly there was a rumble, which was the sound I had awoken too, I laughed at my own jumpiness and paranoia, I had just been hungry.

I felt very hungry, and there was no food in sight. I sighed and got up.

"Gotta look for something eatable." I wasn't sure whether I said it out loud, or just thought of it in my head.

I continued walking around in this forest, and once again; I had this feeling called fear. The sun was soon to end its journey, and for some reason, I had the idea saying that the night was unforgiving.

I began walking faster and faster, in the direction of the sun, as if I was trying to make the day last a couple of more minutes.

I think luck was with me for once, the trees began to be more and more distant from each other, and they also seemed to grow smaller and smaller, the further I came.

After a couple of minutes of more, fast paced walking I came to a broken wooden fence.

I entered the paddock and saw what was most likely; a farm house, about 100 meters (328 ft.) further ahead.

Suddenly a wall of some rotting smell hit me. In the dim evening light I saw holes in the ground that looked like they had come from explosions. I saw the rotting carcasses of dead cows. Some cows where still alive and looked healthy enough.

I felt the same fear and paranoia slowly fill me once again. I walked slowly further, making sure to keep a distance to the carcasses and the holes.

As the sun was halfway behind the horizon, I reached the house. Half of the house was blown away, much like the fields, and there were several areas missing, all were more or less ball shaped.

As I walked around the still living cows, suddenly a lime creature was staring at me. I jumped a little. It just stood there, looking at me.

It was lime green with spots in different kinds of green. It had large black eyes that gave it a kind of "cute" appearance. It was about 1 meter tall (3 ft.) and had 4 short stubby legs.

It looked intensely at me, suddenly a fear of death overwhelmed me, and I turn around and ran, but I barely took a step before falling down a crater.

I had just hit the ground of the crater when an explosion came from behind me, knocking dirt and stones over me, partially burying me alive. I felt my upper back get burned by the explosion.

The explosion pushed me along the rough stone earth of the crater, making scratches on my chest and tearing my shirt apart.

As I slowly began to get up, it was still ringing loudly for my ears.

Even when I ascended from the crater, it was still ringing. I lay on the ground, and realized it hurt when lying on my stomach, but as I turned around, it hurt even worse when lying on my back.

I ended up in sitting position. I looked around. The crater I had fallen in was now united with a newly appeared crater, and it would seem like the green creature had been the center of the explosion.

Slowly the ringing sound in my ears began to fade. And the sound of dying cows appeared.

"Moo" -'s full of pain and fear could be heard around the new crater. It made me feel like I was the one being hurt, it was a mental torture.

I ran for the ruined farm house. As I entered, the smell of rot hit my nose like a hammer. I would likely have vomited if I had had anything in my stomach to throw up.

It seemed as if the front door had been blow up, though some of it had survived the explosion, one side had dried blood all over it. I entered what was left of the living room. On one of the walls was one of those corpse creatures, I was just about to panic when I saw that it was pinned to the wall with a sword through its head.

To be honest, I didn't have the courage to pull out the weapon. The creature's skin wasn't singed, but it was badly rotting.

I took a step backwards and felt something squish under my weight, I barely had the guts to look.

I had stepped on the rotting arm of a child. I quickly removed my foot, expecting to see the rest of the body, but the arm looked as if it was blown, or in worse case; ripped, off the rest of the body.

I wasn't sure if the tears in my eyes were from the terrible smell, or the sadness of the dead child.

I looked around the house, more rotting corpses, whole and partial, were around the house. As if something had attacked the family living here.

After searching for what could be considered too long, with the smell in my nose, I finally found a sword, it was laying on the floor, and with no rotting body on it, though there was long dried blood on the blade.

I drew the sword, it wasn't as long as the other I had found, but it would be easier to wield. As I held it in my hand, and swung it a little in the air. It was as if my muscles remembered how to wield a sword.

"What the hell did I do before I awoke in the forest?"


	3. Chapter 3

With a sword in hand, I quickly exited the house. I ran out of the house and across the field, desperate to escape the smell of death, and the sound of pain.

I came to the fence, and almost fell over it, just breathing heavily.

Damp, approaching, footsteps suddenly caught my attention, and as I looked into the woods, I heard a deep rough moan. Suddenly an image came into mind.

I was standing in the middle of the field, surrounded by group of 20, maybe 30, corpse creatures. My sword was broken and I had no other weapon. They creatures kept getting closer, and suddenly the short green creature was behind me, and suddenly all I could see was flames.

I shook my head, getting the scene out my head. Hell I would die tonight!

I ran back to the house and the field. I rushed into the house and looked after anything pointy. I ended up finding a stash of several quivers of arrows, but only a bow that was snapped in two.

With a belt I found, I strapped the sword to my back.

I also grapped a 12 m (37 ft.) rope from the first floor.

I got up on the second floor of the house. Though part of the wall was missing, and the stairs was lesser broken too. And the trap door that would normally seal off the floor was gone, except for the hinges.

I ripped a few planks off the wall, and with rope began tying arrows on to it, to get a kind of pitchfork weapon.

After making seven of them, I could hear feet being dragged over the wooden floor, and the deep rough moaning also appeared. I froze in my movements.

I'm not sure why, or how, but from the sound of the footsteps my brain somehow decided that there were three creatures, three enemies, below.

I didn't move a muscle, I barely breathed, I waited for them to make their move.

When the first step on the stairs creaked, and I rushed forward, and thrusted the make-shift spear into the face of the creature. It fell backwards and landed on the floor, it didn't move.

I looked around in terror as they all turned towards me, and with slow dragging steps, and a rough moaning, they began moving towards me.

With a quick step further down, I lunged with the second wooden board, with arrow spear head, into the chest of another corpse creature. I jumped upwards, and tipped the creature over, burying the make-shift spear deep in its chest, effectively nailing it to the floor.

I turned around to return to the second floor, but I had barely finished turning when I noticed a corpse creature moving over the stair case, its left hand was inches from reaching my face.

I quickly backed away, tripping as the corpse-creature trapped to the floor grapped my leg.

I landed hard on the wooden floor, it felt as if my brain was jumping around inside my skull.

I slowly got up on my elbows, it was as if time had slowed down. The impaled creature slowly dragged my ankle towards its mouth

I rolled onto the side, slid my sword off my back and with all of my strength, let it fall towards the rotten head.

With a squishy slashing sound, the jaw landed on the floor with a light, thump. My ankle touched the creature's upper teeth, but it was only to bite down.

I kicked the creature's hands with my other food, and as it let go I pulled both of my legs to me and stood up. Ready to face the only walking corpse left.

I readied my sword as it slowly moved closer. I slowly and carefully changed into a stance with my sword above my head, and with the tip pointing towards the face of the creature.

It moved closer, it was as if it's dragging steps moved slower than normal.

Suddenly my heart had begun beating in a slow steady rhythm and besides that beating; the only sound was the steady inhaling of oxygen in my lungs.

The corpse took another step forward, and with a speed I thought I would not have been capable of, I took a step forward, first spinning to the left, slashing its head off, second with the same unnatural speed, the sword spun a total 360 around my, still with the handle above my head, slashing the rotten torso in two.

It fell to the ground, not moving one bit.

I let go of the sword and fell on my bum. The sword landed with a clang besides me. My previous steady breathing had become heavy and irregular.

"Were the hell did I learn to do this?" I whispered to myself.


	4. Chapter 4

I sat for a moment, just thinking about what happened. I got up, grapped the sword, and cut off the head of the corpse creature nailed to the living room floor. It immediately stopped moving.

It was true, when these creatures lost brain contact they would die. Now there was only one question, regarding these creatures that is; how do they come to be?

I looked outside, as if I was playing some game and this was only the first wave of enemies.

It was dark outside, all I could see was the silhouettes of the cows still alive. (Un-)Fortunately the sound of dying cows had ended.

I looked at the pitch black sky, no stars were present and no moon was to be seen. If the sky was just empty or if it was covered in clouds; was impossible to see.

Suddenly, the sound of explosion made the remaining pieces of the windows vibrate and the entire building were creaking, threatening to collapse at any moment.

With the rush of panic in my blood, I jumped out of the window, leaving the remaining homemade spears behind, but still with the sword at my side.

I looked towards the forest across the field, the direction the explosion had come from.

I waited for what might just be a moment, but it certainly felt like several minutes, before a second explosion came. This one made a slight gust of wind, and the building creaked louder, and the last glass panes fell out and broke. The explosion was closer.

I began moving away from the building, as the creaking didn't stop after a few moments like it had after the first.

Suddenly, after taking perhaps four or five steps, a third explosion came, the rustling of leafs were loud and the gust of wind stronger, the building didn't creak for long, before clear sounds of wood splinting into pieces; signaled the start of the buildings demolishment.

The gust from both sides made me trip and without the time to stand up, I began crawling, trying to escape the many pounds of wood threatening to bury me alive.

As I crawled away, I could hear then wooden beams and walls, splinter when they crashed into the ground. I felt splinters and small pieces of wood land on my back, but nothing harmful hit me, this time.

I turned on the ground, in a half-sitting half-lying position, and looked at what was once a farm.

It was a pile of wood, large a giant bonfire ready to be lit, I didn't think more than that before a third explosion came, this time I could feel my hair dance on my head, and my clothes were hit by a strong gust of wind, smaller pieces of wood were blown away and I heard a… scream.

It came from the same direction as the explosions had come from; the forest.

I looked across the field, but the trees were hidden in the moon- and starless night.

A fourth explosion came, this time; the gust of wind carried leaves and some of the medium sized wooden pieces from the house moved as well.

From out of the darkness, silhouettes came running. With the limitations of the dark, I could make out three of them.

As far as I would know, they could be a stronger kind of creature trying to kill me. They weren't "perfect silhouettes", as if were carrying large loads of some sort.

I held my sword in front of me, ready to attack in case they were of any danger.

Before anything else happened; a fifth explosion came, the blast's gust of wind was strong, partly blowing me off balance. The trees in the horizon, snapped with an ear shattering noise, and a wall of leafs hit me.

Barely had the ringing of my ears stopped when an orb of fire flew towards me, so bright it completely blinded me for several moments. I dropped onto the ground.

I felt the heat of the fire on my back, and I felt burn marks appear. It singed into my skin like blazing iron.

"Did you get it?" It was a woman's voice. There was a clear trace of panic in the voice

"I don't know but I bought us time to pass it-" this voice owner was a young male who didn't get to finish his sentence, before a sixth explosion came. Dirt and smaller rocks flew far, and trees splintered and logs were sent flying.

It was even possible to feel a slight heat from the explosion. The shockwave passed around the same second as the explosion was heard.

"Trent!" It was the woman yelling; well it was more a scream actually. A scream of fear, pain and sadness.

"Let him be and run, _it_ is coming!" A third person yelled. This voice was much deeper than any of the previous persons. As I lay on the ground, I turned so I lay on my back, that however; was a mistake.

It felt as if the flames singed into my skin again. Even though I lay and was, almost, unable to move I saw about 6 silhouettes run past me. The most noticeable was a large and broad shouldered one that half-dragged a smaller one.

I got up, not very fast. My energy was drained and the adrenalin rush was dying out, and then of course the wounds didn't help either.

By the time I was standing, all the silhouettes were about 10-15 meters ahead of me.

Suddenly I heard a terrifying sound. It was a mix of whirling wind and a heavy wheezing. I didn't turn around. That amount of courage wasn't something I was able.

Suddenly, the sound of a striking snake combined with a screeching wheeze came from behind. I felt my legs spring into action, and I ran faster than I would ever have done before, wounds or without!

I had barely taken my eighth step, before a seventh explosion was heard. It was right behind me. I was sent flying, a couple dusin meters, before landing right in front of the group, tumbling and the pain did no effort to hide the fact that several bones definitely broke.

The entire group was also blown over and tumbling too. We ended up all lying on the ground, groaning in pain. I could barely move. I looked upon the dark blue sky, empty of stars.

In the middle of my vision was a creature. Dark as the color black itself. It stood out in the dark blue sky, with grey markings. It looked like a flying ribcage with a spine formed tail and three heads. The middle head slightly larger than the other two heads.

Its glowing white eyes stared at us, and they did nothing to hide their powerful, and very capable, killing intent


	5. Chapter 5

I lay on the cold grass in the darkness of the night, the dark creature with its glowing white eyes and three heads stared at the group of people, who had all fallen to ground because of the creature's explosions.

Fear was impaled into me and the six other people. The clear, yet lightless, eyes stared at us, deciding who and have to kill.

"Hey Ugly!" Someone, beside the group of 6 and me yelled. I had heard the voice before.

The creature turned in the air, towards the voice behind it. Just as it did, a large ball of fire was shot at it. From the same direction as the new voice.

"Come get some of this, sucker!" He yelled.

"Trent! Get out of there!" it was the woman screaming again.

"Come, this will be our only chance to escape." It was the big guy's voice again.

The group and I began running. I was sagging behind, likely from getting thrown around so much.

We entered the woods behind the, now collapsed, wooden farm house. Suddenly there was a rapid session of explosions, three or four; maybe more.

This time, not only did the women scream, but a couple of the others yelled as well: "Trent!" It was as if they were singing his final verse: the hymn of the dead man.

As we continued our journey through the woods, a tall cliff suddenly towered over us, or rather –towered over me.

I had unfortunately lost sight of these other people, those that might save me, the only ones that can save me.

I stepped closer to the cliff, looking for some kind of secret passage, or anything -really- that could tell me where they had gone.

I tripped over my dragging feet, and fell over, I tried grab cliff to stop the fall, but what I grapped felt like clothes, and I fell on my face.

I my hand as a large in-lack-of-a-better-word door og brown cotton, effectively camouflaging a cavern entrance. From beyond that, a light was glimmering and the thought "flames, a campfire" instantly appeared in my mind.

I got up, and began walking towards the light. With each step I took, I could hear voices, getting slightly louder.

I was only a couple meters in, when the tunnel took a sharp turn to the left. I had barely turned the corner when the voices stopped. Around a campfire stood the group I had followed. Perhaps stood is the wrong word.

A big bald guy, with a double-bladed axe strapped to his back, was comforting a woman, with light brown hair, who was sitting near the fire, clearly crying. A bow and a quiver of arrows were lying on the ground beside her.

Rummaging in a large backpack, though far from filled, was a guy with his hair in every possible direction, the tips looked scorched too. He was mumbling to himself.

By the wall was another man, with grease filled, slick back, dark brown (almost black), preparing a stone oven, some raw meat was on a wooden table besides him.

By the opposite wall lay a young woman, likely in her late teens, she was sleeping, or looked the part. A grey, brown, and green –in a camouflage pattern- cloak was folded and used as a pillow.

There was a silence, a loud roaring silence… and the crackling of the fire. And the… the guy with the bag pack looked up.

"Who the hell are you!" He shouted as he stood up, holding a reddish brown stick and a lit tindertwig.

Everyone stood up quickly, almost jumping.

The Bald guy placed a hand on guy's shoulder "Matthias, put that away. We don't want the cavern to collapse on us."

The guy, called Matthias, blew out the tindertwig.

"And now _you_ talk" Baldy said and pointed a thick finger at my face, honestly: it was terrifying.

"Ehh…"I honestly had no idea what to say. I didn't know where I was, who I was, or even why I was here. How the hell am I supposed to not have these guys kill me.

The bald man stepped closer, and I felt myself take an instinctively step back, He talked again: "I asked; who are you?"

"I have no idea"

"What?" The bold guy almost shouted, and chills ran down my back "I don't know who I am"

"Hold on a second!" the one with the abnormally large backpack exclaimed, "are you saying that you _just suddenly appeared in this world_?"

There was a distinct tone of fear and excitement that I couldn't quite place, on those last words.

"Well… yeah. I guess you could put it that way" I said while rubbing the back of my head.

"Matthias, please don't start" I thought I could hear the bald guy mumble, but I wasn't sure.

"Don't you see?" The backpack guy, likely named Matthias, said "It matches the theory! Tell me, when did you… appear?"

"Yesterday, around morning I think" I replied after a moment of thought.

"About the same time the Wither attacked, and… let me guess: the sun had only just passed the horizon?"

"Yeah, give or take."

"That's probably mere minutes after Crow died! And he then we make eight persons! Have our group ever consisted of less?"

No one replied. I just stood there, confused and unsure of how to continue

"Oh, were is my manners" said Matthias and slapped his forehead lightly.

"My name is Matthias, if you need anything build don't hesitate to ask!" He had a smile on his face.


	6. Chapter 6

"Matthias!" The woman with light brown hair shouted, "Don't just replaced Trent with that guy. He might work for the Wither for all we know!" She was clearly annoyed over something; though she didn't look particularly angry… her eyes contained more- sadness.

"That guy, Trent, was he the one with the fire balls?" I asked

"Yes, he was blown to bits by the Wither." The Bald guy said. His eyes flickered, but then he shook his head.

"My name is Carl, and this" he placed his hands on the woman's shoulder, "is Maryan, she and Trent were very close."

"Don't tell that stuff to some random guy." Maryan said angrily before going further inside the cavern.

The girl who had previously just lied on the floor got up. Her long reddish orange her reached her shoulders, but no more. She was about to follow Maryan when Carl spoke up:

"Don't follow her, just leave her for now." His deep voice slightly echoed in the otherwise very very quiet cavern room.

"Soo… do I prepare dinner for this guy as well?" Then man with dark slick back hair asked cautiously.

Carl turned towards me, with him being at least 7 foot tall, he stared down at me, literally and it was automatically intimidating

"Can you, and will you, be useful for us?" He asked. The question seemed weird and… in lack of a better word: alien to me.

 _Should I just say "yes" outright?_

 _Or should I say it more carefully?_

 _Should I answer instinctly and just say what feels right?_

I suddenly realized that the silence was inches away from being awkward.

"I don't know how yet, but I will prove myself useful!" I said it more shout-ish than intended, though the effect of it might not have been half-bad.

"Make him food"

The casual way it came out almost knocked the wind out of me. It was so blunt and… straightforward, that it didn't really fit the conversation. But as it would turn out to fill my very empty stomach, it might have been rations but it tasted like heavens banquet.

The brown haired woman returned.

That night, I felt as if they all watched me, and to make it all _better_ , Matthias kept me awake for at least an hour with silly questions about his _minimum world population theory_ as it turned out to be called. That guy had way too much spare time on his hands; especially given the situation.

The Next morning, I awoke at the sound of some rustling and an unfamiliar, yet familiar, moaning sound. I opened my eyes, there was no longer burning and only a very little amount of sunlight got through the entrance. I sat up, suddenly my head jerked to the side, on its own.

A rotting corpse stood between me and the exit, it's skin had fallen off most places, and the rest was mostly covered in dirt and moss.

"Guys." I said out loud. The others were standing on their legs before I even got a chance to blink, as if there were barely sleeping.

"Carl!" the cook shouted. Seconds later, a fair sized axe flew through the air and with a hollow sound placed itself deep in the skull of the corpse.

"Gear up. We need to move." Matthias said, and the others quickly began packing.

"Why the hurry, if I may ask?" I said, as politely as I could.

"These creatures never come alone, they are always attracted by something, a sound, the smell of meat or blood, or flares of light. There is always something to attract their attention." Matthias explained to me as we both rolled together the different bedsheets.

"Also," he continued "the explosions from yester have led every one of those disgusting things within 10 miles to this very location."

So basically we are screwed. Not that I had the guts to say it out loud.

We packed the rest in silence. Carl led us further into the caves. I don't know where I learned too, but I noticed that we were rising in altitude.

The cave tunnel was dark, none even bothered about vision. And I could see surprisingly good considering there was no source of light, though it couldn't see Carl.

After an hour – maybe more, maybe less – a large bush and heavy undergrowth blocked the way. A slight light shined through the leaves. One by one, they began to push through it. I followed suit. I had to cover my eyes as I stepped out in the light.

The morning sun shined in all of its majesty, the air still chilly, but slowed warmed up. We were on a large plateau with forest all around us, below us. At this point, the events of yesterday seemed almost like a dream.

Then I looked around me. These people didn't smile at this beauty, they just looked sad. I felt like I had to get everyone out of their thoughts.

"Don't mind me asking, but where are we going?" I asked.

"Nowhere" The cook said.

"Triston…" Carl said, it sounded almost like a warning.

"Carl, it is our only shot. We will never survive in the wilds for eternity." He said, then he began yelling: "But of course, we could all just return to the cities. Which one? Beacon, oh wait! The Wither destroyed that one; then how about Hope? That's right, it destroyed that one too! We are alone, all of them died, or have you forgotten? Forgotten about Simon, and Trent-"

"Triston! Shut up!" The brown haired woman screamed, tears running down her cheeks in rivers.

"Maryan…" Triston said. His voice suddenly tiny. "Sorry… I just-"

"I don't care" Maryan said, whipping away her tears with the back of her hand.

She turned away; everyone seemed to turn away from each other.

Dammit.

I just made everything worse…

I turned to Matthias, he seemed like the only one willing to talk.

"Hey, what happened? What did he mean by Beacon and Hope?" I asked

"Right, I you really did just appear. Well, the city of Hope was a prosperous city…"


End file.
